Nepal, March 11 -- The roar of the crowd at the Dasharath Rangasala has long been the heartbeat of Nepali sports that transcends political turmoil and economic hardship. Yet today, that heartbeat is faint, thready and failing. The beautiful game is being systematically dismantled in Nepal by a combination of bureaucratic ossification, administrative ineptitude, and a succession of governments that treat its athletes as disposable ornaments of state pride.

The recent sight of the Nepal Football Player Association (NFPA) padlocking the All Nepal Football Association (ANFA) Complex in Satdobato is a desperate cry for help from a sport on its deathbed. For the second time in four months, Nepal's finest footballers have been forced to trade t...